Cowboys player returns from suspension. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has allowed Adam “Pacman” Jones back into the NFL for a second time following suspension. Jones, who was only allowed back into the league this year after a lengthy misconduct suspension, was sat down again after a recent alcohol-related confrontation with his bodyguard at a Dallas hotel. He announced through a representative this week that he completed a rehab program. Goodell agreed to review Jones’ eligibility to re-join the Cowboys after four games, deciding in the cornerback’s favor.

 After he completes his 23-month jail term, lawyers for Michael Vick says ex-Atlanta Falcons player wants back in the NFL.  Vick’s attorneys, who laid out a plan to pay creditors based in part on his expected earnings and possible signing bonuses, said that Vick “has every reason to believe that upon his release, he will be reinstated into the NFL, resume his career and be able to earn a substantial living.”  The disclosure statement was filed before a hearing Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Norfolk, Va.

Iverson, Culpepper both Motown-bound.  The Detroit Pistons and Detroit Lions have received significant additions to their rosters on the same day. Daunte Culpepper announced that he’d join the Detroit Lions in a two-year deal, following his passing a physical. The 0-8 Lions hope Culpepper can help reverse their non-fortune this season, while the Pistons hope Allen Iverson can lead them back to championship glory. Iverson goes to Detroit in a swap for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb, who’ll join the Denver Nuggets. Iverson’s expected to be introduced as a Piston in a news conference this afternoon.

Chiefs player feels fallout from fracas. NFL running back Larry Johnson will lose a $147,000 check due to suspension from next weekend’s game versus San Diego, but he’s already lost his agent. The Kansas City Chiefs player whose name has come up in more than a few unflattering headlines recently is being disciplined after cops charged him with assault for spitting on a woman at a bar last month. Johnson already has been sidelined by the Chiefs for the last two weeks. Johnson’s agent declined to say why he resigned as the player’s representative.

Maya Moore expected to lead Huskies. The women’s basketball squad at UConn is No. 1 in pre-season Associated Press rankings, in no small part because of sophomore Maya Moore’s return this season. Moore, who holds the all-time scoring record for boys or girls at her alma mater Collins Hill High, is expected to start again for UConn. “For this team to have a pre-season No. 1 ranking is special,” says coach Geno Auriemma. “They have battled through a lot. Finally making the Final Four last year and, now, earning this ranking means something to them.”

Imprisoned Vick loses another legal battle.

Suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick will have to be flown back to Virginia so that he can plead guilty to state dogfighting charges at state expense. The hearing is scheduled two days before Thanksgiving. Surry County Circuit Judge Samuel E. Campbell denied a request by Vick’s lawyers that he be allowed to enter guilty pleas by videoconference from the federal prison in Leavenworth, Kan., where Vick is serving a 23-month sentence for a federal dogfighting-conspiracy crime. Although the judge says the law gave him full discretion in the matter, he said it was in the court’s and Vick’s best interests for him to appear in person Nov. 25. He also said the public would be better served if Vick actually showed up in person. Surry prosecutor Gerald G. Poindexter objected to the videoconference request, saying there was no specific language in Virginia law that addressed it. “It’s unprecedented; it’s never been done in Virginia anywhere,” Poindexter said after yesterday’s brief hearing in Sussex Circuit Court on the issue. “And I didn’t want Surry County to be groundbreaking in that sense. … There’s also the question of the public’s right to be present. The public would not be accommodated in a closed-circuit TV proceeding.” Vick’s case is being handled in Sussex because the Surry courthouse is undergoing renovation.

World Series resumes today after rain interruption. The World Series resumes tonight after heavy rain in Philadelphia led to a temporary suspension of play on Monday. Philadelphia is tied 2-2 versus Tampa in the fifth game of the seven-game contest. A muddy pitcher’s mound and puddles elsewhere led to the interruption in the sixth inning. Fox will broadcast what will be the Major League game of ‘08 if the Phillies win to capture the title. The Rays must win three straight to take the series.

Rumor links leader to NFL. Could a second Rice be poised to lead the San Francisco 49ers? Conflicting media reports suggest that it’s possible. Years after Jerry Rice, widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver to ever play pro football, grabbed three Super Bowl rings in San Francisco, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is being linked to the team. Having once expressed interest in running the NFL, the official was later quoted as saying, “I decided that it would be alright to run a team as well.” The NFL Network recently reported that a 49ers exec wants to hire Rice as team president. But a State Department spokesman says there’s been no contact between Rice and the team.

Patrick Ewing Jr. scrapped from squad. Patrick Ewing Jr. won’t have a chance to achieve NBA greatness on the same team his father once led - at least not this season. Ewing was cut on Monday as the Knicks instead chose to keep shooting guard Anthony Roberson. Ewing scored seven points in nine minutes last weekend versus New Jersey. The senior Ewing is a Hall of Fame center who still leads New York in all-time scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and steals.

New Orleans players form nearly half of doping cases. New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister and defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant are among eight pending cases of NFL players who tested positive for steroids, reports ESPN. Vikings defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams, along with Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jackson tested positive for a diuretic, according to Fox Sports. A player’s first offense under the anti-drug policy results in a four-game suspension.

Former top pound-for-pound slugger will seek title next week.

A former boxing champion, once acknowledged as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, hopes to give Joe Calzaghe’s record its only blemish. Roy Jones Jr. is set to take on Calzaghe next week in what the Welshman says will be his only light heavyweight title defense. “I’m up for this fight,” says the 45-0 Calzaghe, who beat Bernard Hopkins this year. “You know I’m so close to doing something really special. …[A]fter that, I’m just going to walk away.” Jones, 52-4, hopes to stop Calzaghe from retiring undefeated. The Nov. 8 bout will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Ex-NFL defensive lineman found dead

. Chris Mims, a former defensive lineman for the San Diego Chargers, was found dead in his downtown apartment Wednesday. He was 38. Authorities said there was no evidence of foul play. Mims was discovered shortly before 9:30 a.m. by police officers conducting a welfare check, police said. The coroner’s office declined to comment because Mims’ relatives had not yet been notified. Mims, who had been plagued by legal problems, played eight seasons in the NFL, seven with the Chargers and one with the Washington Redskins. He retired in 2000, finishing with 42 sacks and 10 forced fumbles in 104 games. Mims was a first-round draft pick out of Tennessee in 1992. He had a career-high 11 sacks when the Chargers won the AFC in 1994. The Chargers released him in 1997. A year later, Mims was convicted of refusing to take a blood-alcohol test after being pulled over for suspicion of drunken driving. His driver’s license was suspended for a year. A judge had previously found Mims innocent of driving under the influence because prosecutors failed to prove their case. In 1999, Mims was accused of attacking a man outside a fast-food restaurant for stealing his tacos. Tennessee Vols Coach Phillip Fulmer, who was offensive coordinator at the time Mims was a player, recalled how Mims and his teammates helped turn around a struggling defense in the early ’90s. “I had to coach against him every day in practice, and that was no fun,” Fulmer told The Associated Press Thursday. “That’s really a sad thing, a very young person to be passing away at that age.”

Arthur Blank would love to see imprisoned ex-quarterback Michael Vick in a NFL uniform again - so long as it’s not a Falcons jersey. Atlanta’s team owner says he’s heard from Vick, who’s serving a federal prison sentence for illegal dog-fighting, but has not interest in re-hiring the disgraced player. “He’s written me and I’ve answered him,” Blank tells ESPN.com. “I certainly wish Michael well in the future. I believe in second chances. I believe in third chances. That doesn’t mean I believe in forever chances.” He adds that Atlanta has “turned the page” and has a “franchise quarterback” in Boston alum Matt Ryan. Get more at Playa Hater.

Adam “Pacman” Jones to miss four games.

A Dallas Cowboys cornerback finds himself in a familiar position this week: watching the regular season from his living room.  Days after apologizing to his teammates for a recent incident in which police were called to a Dallas hotel, Adam “Pacman” Jones is suspended from playing with his team for the second time in his career. Jones missed last season for having violated the player code of conduct after he was arrested multiple times in connection with criminal incidents. He was reinstated this summer and traded to Dallas from Tennessee after repeatedly vowing to change his ways. But it appears that alcohol was involved in the hotel episode in which Jones had a confrontation with a bodyguard assigned to his side by the Cowboys. Cops filed no charges, but asked both to leave the premises. Commissioner Roger Goodell, who reinstated Jones, has decided to suspend the cornerback indefinitely - again. Goodell’s letter informing Jones of his latest discipline notes that a “disturbing pattern of behavior was clearly inconsistent with the conditions I set for your continued participation in the NFL.” Get more at Playa Hater.

Anquan Boldin’s pass defender is fined $50,000.

NFL receiver Anquan Boldin is recovering from a helmet-to-helmet hit that sidelined him in a Sunday game versus the New York Jets. The Arizona Cardinals’ Boldin was immobilized and carted off the field before being checked out for injuries at a hospital. Cardinals Coach Ken Whisenhunt wants the league to review the play for violations. Jets safety Eric Smith, who delivered the hit to Boldin, has been suspended for a game and fined $50,000 for the indiscretion. NCAA player Dante Love was temporarily paralyzed in a recent game and is recovering from an injury after a similar helmet-to-helmet collision.